1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to step platforms for vehicles, and, more particularly, to step assemblies that mount to a standard receiver hitch so as to provide access to a load box of a pickup truck or the like both regardless of whether the tailgate is lowered or raised.
2. Background Information
Placing items in or removing items from a pickup truck load box can be an awkward operation, particularly if the truck is equipped with a heavy duty raised suspension and the tailgate is closed so that the user has to reach over a wall of the load box. Moreover, climbing into or out of such a load box can also be difficult. Many arrangements have been proposed for solving one or both of these problems by providing an auxiliary step mountable to a vehicle in order to aid a user who wants to reach into or step into or out of a truck load box. Some of these steps work well when the tailgate is in an upright and closed position, but are rendered inaccessible when the tailgate is lowered. Others project to the rear or side of the vehicle so as to be accessible when the tailgate is lowered, but are in a hazardous and awkward location when the tailgate is raised.
There is thus a need for a step assembly that is mountable at the rear of a pickup truck or similar vehicle so as to assist both in entering the load box when the tailgate is down and in accessing items in the load box when the tailgate is raised. Ideally, the step assembly should provide a step that is relatively long along a direction transverse to the vehicle axis so as to provide a maximum step width. Additionally, the step should protrude only minimally to the rear of the vehicle when not in use.
Furthermore, there exists a need for such a step assembly that detachably mounts to a standard receiver hitch at the rear of a pickup truck or similar vehicle, so as to be conveniently and stably secured thereto.